Reproductive health care for women

Việt Nam•21/05/2024

Muong La District comprises 16 communes and towns; many of which are located in mountainous, remote, and isolated areas with difficult transportation, and where infrastructure, medical equipment, and human resources are not yet fully developed. To facilitate access to quality healthcare services for pregnant women in these areas, the District Health Center has implemented mobile reproductive health examination and counseling services to proactively manage pregnancies and ensure maternal safety during pregnancy.

Doctors at the Muong La District Health Center provide reproductive health care advice to pregnant women.

At the end of April, we, along with doctors and nurses from the Muong La District Health Center, conducted outpatient examinations in Chieng Lao commune. Despite the long distance, the team brought along all necessary medical equipment, such as ultrasound machines, blood pressure monitors, and fetal stethoscopes. At the health station, many mothers brought their children for vaccinations, and many pregnant women arrived early in the morning to wait for examinations. The doctors and nurses divided into different areas to conduct examinations, ultrasound screenings, and provide consultations.

After receiving a prenatal check-up from the doctors, Ms. Quàng Thị Tim from Huổi Tóng village shared: "I already have a 7-year-old son. Previously, due to a lack of experience and knowledge about reproductive health care and not knowing how to use nutritious foods during pregnancy, my baby was slow to grow. Today, during the check-up, the doctors performed an ultrasound and provided advice to ensure the healthy development of the fetus and to produce breast milk for my child later."

In early May, the Muong La District Health Center deployed six mobile medical teams to the communes of Nam Gion, Chieng Cong, Nam Pam, Ngoc Chien, Chieng An, and Chieng Lao. Each team consisted of obstetricians, obstetric nursing graduates, and laboratory technicians from the infectious diseases - disease control - HIV/AIDS; population - communication; reproductive health care; and medical examination - pharmaceutical testing departments. The medical staff collected information, measured blood pressure, conducted screenings, and performed ultrasounds to detect potential abnormalities for early intervention and treatment of diseases, metabolic disorders, and genetic disorders during the fetal and neonatal stages; reviewed tetanus vaccinations; provided advice on reproductive health care and nutrition; and encouraged pregnant women to have at least four prenatal checkups during their pregnancy and give birth at medical facilities to ensure the safety of both mother and child. In addition, doctors and medical staff provide advice and guidance on screening tests for early detection of ovarian cancer and cervical cancer, instruct on the use of contraceptives, and provide free contraceptives.

Dr. Lo Van Soan, Head of the Infectious Diseases - Disease Control - HIV/AIDS Department at the Muong La District Health Center, said: Mobile medical examination and counseling activities are essential because most women, especially those in remote areas, lack awareness of reproductive health care. Furthermore, a lack of understanding of health insurance policies is also a barrier preventing many women from accessing healthcare services.

Through the implementation of mobile reproductive health examination and counseling activities, to date, 108 pregnant women in the communes have received examinations, ultrasound screenings, and reproductive health care advice from doctors and medical staff of the District Health Center. Cases where obstetric and gynecological diseases were detected were referred to higher-level hospitals for further specialized tests and timely treatment.

Currently, the Muong La District Health Center continues to direct its departments and wards to coordinate with commune and town health stations to implement screening activities, combined with tetanus vaccination and prenatal ultrasound; from there, doctors will advise pregnant women on the timing of childbirth, safe labor, preventing the risk of birth defects, unexplained stillbirths, minimizing obstetric complications, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates, and contributing to improving the quality of the population.

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